Exclusive

THE LEVANT EXCLUSIVE -Beirut – by Emily Holman — Two days after my arrival in Lebanon in mid-July, and almost one month after the publication of Pope Francis’s most recent papal encyclical, Laudato Si’, collection of the nation’s rubbish reached a standstill. Activists and residents of environs surrounding …

THE LEVANT EXCLUSIVE – by G. Beatrice Maneshi — The recent announcement of a nuclear framework agreement between the E3+3 and the Islamic Republic of Iran has cracked open the longstanding closed door of international negotiation between Iran and the international community on matters of security. Current negotiations …

The Levant News Exclusive — Damascus – Battlefield sources mentioned two car explosions in Ras Ayn, attacking two locations of “Kurdish People’s Defense Units” at Mushrafa village in the southeast countryside of Hasaka. The attack wasn’t adopted by any force, however, several sources, accused ISIS due to its presence in …

THE LEVANT NEWS EXCLUSIVE — by Rim Al-Samman – Damascus – Translated by Mirvat Sibaii — Official and Syrian sources on the ground affirmed Tuesday, that the Syrian Army in cooperation with Hezbollah the Lebanese Party, established control over al-Mas district in al-Zabadani city located to the northwest of Damascus. This …

By Jasmin Rasheed — The Levant News — Palestinian sources revealed that President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and a high-ranking delegation will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the coming days. The Palestinian delegation is to include figures such as Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, PA spokesman Nabil Abu …

THE LEVANT NEWS — The United States, Iran, and other world powers have finally concluded negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, reaching a final agreement on Tuesday that was over two years in the making. Here is the full text of the Iran nuclear deal: iran-deal-text (1)

By Julia Lugovska – THE LEVANT EXCLUSIVE Northern Caucasus insurgency, broke out after two wars led by Russia in the region, provoked spread of radical Islamism and fundamentalism among the local rebel groups, which currently attract mostly young people becoming a part of youth “Jamaat” – terrorist groups and cells driven …

AFP – Saudi Arabia’s ailing King Abdullah, 91, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday for “medical checks,” the royal court said. The king, whose age and frequent hospitalisation have raised concerns about the future leadership of the key oil producer, was admitted to the King Abdul Aziz Medical City in …

By ERIC SCHMITT for The New York Times – Maj. Gen. Michael K. Nagata, commander of American Special Operations forces in the Middle East, sought help this summer in solving an urgent problem for the American military: What makes the Islamic State so dangerous? Trying to decipher this complex enemy …

By Reissa Su for IBtimes.com – The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants have reportedly developed a nuclear weapon from the radioactive material they seized from the Mosul University in Iraq. ISIS bragged about the nuclear device on social media as a British extremist fighter claimed it would wreak …

Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/ – The Islamic State, or ISIS, claims it has shot down a Jordanian fighter jet and captured its pilot. Will this undermine the kingdom’s bedrock role as an ally in the war? Islamic militants scored a significant propaganda coup today, displaying the captured pilot of a Jordanian warplane …

Special Report – On a Sunday in early June Muhammad Qatta, a roadside coffee-seller in the Syrian city of Aleppo, refused to serve a would-be freeloader. Even the prophet himself would have to pay, he said. Some bearded rebel fighters overheard him. Crying blasphemy, they shot him dead. Muhammad was …

By Charles Hirschkind – published in MER205 – Over the last few decades, Islam has become a central point of reference for a wide range of political activities, arguments and opposition movements. The term “political Islam” has been adopted by many scholars in order to identify this seemingly unprecedented irruption …

BY ERIC KELSEY AND MARY MILLIKEN for Reuters – Sony Pictures said on Tuesday it will release “The Interview” to a limited number of theaters on Dec. 25, less than a week after it canceled the comedy’s release following a devastating cyberattack blamed on North Korea. The decision comes after …

By Christopher Hartwell for Russia Direct – While Russia’s Central Bank increased its key interest rate to 17 percent, the steep depreciation of the ruble and the drop in global oil prices have negative implications not only for Russia’s economy, but also for Russia’s ability to integrate with other nations …

By CEYLAN YEGINSUDEC for The New York Times – ISTANBUL — A Turkish court has issued an arrest warrant for an influential cleric and former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and whose followers have been accused of participating in a plot to …

By Catherine Shakdam – The article has first Appeared on Mintpress – ISIS Israel over the past decade, the Middle East — the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of the three major monotheistic religions — has become a flashpoint for religious extremism and fascism. The general public has grown …

By Danny Rubinstein* for I24news – The Palestinian Authority has been rocked by internal power struggles in recent weeks, only a few of which have been publicly exposed. The most significant public expression of this turmoil was a report in recent days that Yasser Abd Rabbo, one of the most …

By Vali R. Nasr, the article has first appeared at The New York Times — The Obama administration’s quest for a grand strategy for the Middle East is in deep trouble, and the failure to reach a nuclear deal with Iran has only made the problem worse. For the first …

First appeared on Stratfor.com – The United States and Cuba on Dec. 17 took their most assertive step in several decades toward normalizing relations. The most important announcements concerned the resumption of high-level political discussions focused on renewing formal diplomatic ties between the countries, which have been nonexistent since 1961. …

Reuters – A shocked Pakistan on Wednesday began burying 132 students killed in a grisly attack on their school by Taliban militants that has heaped pressure on the government to do more to tackle the insurgency. People across the country lit candles and staged vigils as parents bade final farewells …

Reuters – As U.S. fighter jets pound Islamic State targets in Syria, Washington’s coalition allies appear increasingly absent from the air war. Although President Barack Obama’s administration announced the Syrian air strikes three months ago as a joint campaign by Washington and its Arab allies, nearly 97 percent of the …

Source: The Daily Star – Syrian army airstrikes against militant positions across the border from Lebanon’s northeastern town of Arsal killed 11 and wounded 17 Wednesday, a high-ranking Lebanese security source said, as clashes raged between rival jihadi groups in the Qalamoun region. The source said ISIS and Nusra Front …

Reuters) – The United States will restore diplomatic relations it severed with Cuba more than 50 years ago, a major policy shift ending decades of hostile ties with the communist-ruled island, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday. Announcing the end of what he called a “rigid” policy of isolation of …

By Graham E. Fuller Published first on Graham Fullet’s Blog – ISIS has particularly targeted Shi’a as a key part of their brutal onslaught against any practice of Islam that does not conform to their narrow ahistorical interpretation view of their religion. We hear a lot from western commentators about …

The Levant Exclusive – By Khaled Mohammed Abdou* – The Sufi: The traveller in the way of love To be human first and before anything, to realise the meaning of “within you the big world exists”. To remember that no matter how high or low, awake or heedless, forgetful or …

The Daily Star – After meeting Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea in Riyadh Monday, a high-ranking Saudi official called for the swift election of a new president in Lebanon, according to a statement issued by Geagea’s office. Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz also pledged continued support to strengthen …

By Larry Derfner for 972mag.com – If you’d asked me how many East Jerusalem Palestinian bus drivers in the capital had quit their jobs because of the violence they’d faced from Jewish assailants, I’d have said oh, maybe three. When I read in Haaretz on Sunday (truly a must-read) that …

Source: The Daily Star – The rumored new mediator in negotiations to secure the release of 25 Lebanese servicemen threatened to withdraw from the effort if the Lebanese government does not announce his official appointment by Tuesday evening. “If I’m not appointed by the government tonight, at the latest, I …

Reuters – At least 126 people, most of them children, were killed on Tuesday when Taliban gunmen stormed a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, taking hundreds of students hostage in the bloodiest insurgent attack in the country in years. Troops surrounded the building and an operation was underway …

The Levant – By Dr. Amer Al Sabaileh – The Russians have lately been dynamic and innovative in their diplomacy towards a political solution to the Syrian crisis. With the regional priorities shifting from political resolution to combating terrorism, the Russians are alone in continuing with this pursuit. Moscow has …

Reuters – Australian security forces on Tuesday stormed the Sydney cafe where several hostages were being held at gunpoint, in what looked like the dramatic denouement to a standoff that had dragged on for more than 16 hours. Heavy gunfire and loud bangs rang out shortly after 2 a.m. local …

Reuters – Syria’s army seized an area north of Aleppo on Sunday and killed insurgents as fierce battles raged over the strategic territory, a group monitoring the war and state media reported. Syria’s second city is at the heart of clashes between pro-government forces and a range of insurgents, including …

The Daily Star – Two wanted Syrians, one of them wearing an explosive belt, were arrested by the Lebanese Army Sunday en route to meet militants holding 25 Lebanese servicemen on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal. Late Sunday, the Lebanese Army clashed with militants on the outskirts …

The Daily Star – United Nations and Lebanese officials are meeting Monday to launch the 2015-16 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan to deal with the more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees the country is hosting. Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas and Ross Mountain, the U.N. resident coordinator in Lebanon, will discuss …

Source: BBC – Turkish police have made at least 23 arrests during raids on a newspaper and TV station with close ties to US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. Those detained are accused of forming an illegal organisation and trying to seize control of the state. Mr Gulen, the spiritual leader …

The Daily Star – Israel has been dipping into Lebanon’s offshore oil and gas reserves for years, Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Musawi warned Sunday, days after Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri made a similar statement. “The Israeli enemy had started drilling for oil more than seven years ago,” the MP said in …

Source: Business Indider – The Middle East has been racked by turmoil for much of the past decade, and its militaries are constantly thrown into the region’s often-violent chaos. A mixture of transnational threats like ISIS and domestic insurgencies from local militant groups, along with larger regional rivalries, all force …

By Martin Chulov for the Guardian – In the summer of 2004, a young jihadist in shackles and chains was walked by his captors slowly into the Camp Bucca prison in southern Iraq. He was nervous as two American soldiers led him through three brightly-lit buildings and then a maze …

By Martin Chulov for the Guardian – For more than a decade, the Iranian military leader and ideologue has wielded huge influence, thanks to the support of Shia fighters. The rise of Islamic State is his greatest challenge yet. Qassem Suleimani is not used to defeat. So, when the Iraqi …

Islamic State (Isis) is now the wealthiest militant group in the world, with a reported net worth of $2bn (£1.2bn). Where is all the cash coming from? The group has built up a fortune through a combination of oil resources and wheat production to hostage taking and extortion. Unless the …

The Guardian – Researchers at BBC and King’s College London record 664 incidents carried out by 16 jihadi groups, with Iraq topping list Locals inspect the site of a bomb blast at a bus station in Gombe, north-eastern Nigeria. At least 23 people were reported killed in the explosion, which …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem with Collaboration with L’indro.it – Last week was exceptional in Lebanon following the announcement of the arrest of Saja Dulaimy, that some believe she is the former wife of ISIS leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. Saja Dulaimy, has been arrested in North Lebanon with her Palestinian driver …

By Graham E. Fuller – A supreme challenge to US policies in the Middle East—especially in the Arab world—has been dealing with the no-win dilemma of leadership in the Arab world. As we look out across the wreckage of the present scene in the Middle East, many observers, including myself, …